Take care of my Check Engine
Good morning! In this post we are gathering many informations about the mighty and infamous ''Check engine light''. It's haunted many dreams and flooded many Facebook groups with these repeating questions; ''What's causing this?'', ''What can I do?'', ''How do I turn it off?'', ''Why is my Cruise Control light flashing at the same time?'', ''The light came On, but quickly went away; what do I do now?''. And TODAY we are busting down the myths for you!
''What's causing this?'' + ''Why is my Cruise Control light flashing at the same time?''
The check engine light is there to help you, and you need to listen to it. It is a clear sign that your car's ECU(Engine Control Unit) has discovered a problem with the functionning of your car and wants to communicate it with you in the form of a code. There are approximatively 196 different codes availlable on your Subaru, each leading you or your mechanic down the path of a different diagnostic procedure. The cruise control light flashing does not mean anything more and is just an additionnal attempt at getting your attention(and annoying you) on all 2005 and newer Subarus.
''What can I do?''
Do. Not. Waste. Your. Time. Time is money, and it's never been more real than here. Problems only gets bigger with time, and waiting with the desesperate hope that the troubles will go away might just end up costing you a lot more money in the end. I also insist, do not waste your time trying to replace random parts. It will end up being costly for absolutely no good reason while taking care of the real problem only if you are lucky. Schedule an appointment with your mechanic so he can read the code. You can also equip yourself with a portable OBDII reader that will allow you to read and erase the code.
''How do I turn it off?''
Now that you have read the displayed code you need to determine wether the problem is critical or not. Some codes will indicate a serious problem with the functionning or your car, in which case you should simply have it towed to where it can be fixed. In the case that the code is related to something less important such as a module temporary power loss, you can go on and delete the code to try and see if it comes back. If you are unsure, do not make assumptions by yourself and contact a professionnal.
- Fix the problem and then delete the code with an OBDII reader.
- Clearing a code can make the diagnostic a lot harder, make sure you have all the informations before doing so.
''The light came On, but quickly went away; what do I do now?''
Hook up your OBDII reader anyway, the code should still be there but categorised as ''History'' and will provide valuable informations. Preventing is a lot cheaper than reacting to a problem you could have avoided in the first place.
More informations
In summary
- If the light is ON, contact your mechanic without waiting
- Do NOT ignore the light
- There are roughly 196 different codes on your Subaru, don't try to guess and replace various parts randomly, it's costly.
- Each code is related to a specific diagnostic chart supplied by the manufacturer
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